February Seasonal Ayurvedic Food & Lifestyle Guide

February calls for warm, baked, and sustaining dishes.

Onions, in every form, should predominate throughout the day — gently cooked or added to gruels in the morning, lightly fried at noon, baked for dinner, and even taken raw (thinly sliced and dipped in lemon juice) before retiring at night. Onions go well with morning gruels, Triscuits or whole grains at noon, and toast at dinner.

A little Russian-style coffee taken with an onion dish may help stimulate and “charge” the nervous system during cold February mornings.

Garlic may be used twice daily. A simple method is to rub a fresh clove onto a slice of hot toast. Two slices of toast are sufficient for a light meal.

Dried fruits, including raisins, are best used dry or soaked in claret or cider until they regain their natural size. If steamed, they should be lightly salted. Chew dried fruits slowly along with the crusts of organic bread — as my grandmother would say — this practice supports long-standing liver complaints and stubborn alimentary disorders.

One of the most satisfying meals in this season is hot barley soup with onions and garlic, used in reasonable quantities. Pair it with toast and salads of lettuce, endive, or kale.

Rice is especially wholesome when it is chilled immediately after cooking with plenty of cold water, then reheated in a pan with olive or sesame oil. Adding celery seed helps maintain internal warmth during February.

All kinds of beans and peas are in order and may be used frequently, even daily. They can be made highly nutritious and palatable. Adding browned flour to beans, peas, and lentils reduces gas and other unpleasant after-effects. Savory herbs and herbal teas taken with these dishes further support glandular vitality.

When feeling low or exhausted, try a simple breathing exercise and a small glass of hot lemonade — it brings quick relief.

Carrots, beets, and turnips are excellent for this season. Baking is preferable to steaming, unless they are used merely to flavor other dishes. Cabbage may be baked in the oven; to improve taste and digestion, add onions, one clove of garlic, cloves, turmeric, and ghee or olive oil. This dish pairs beautifully with dumplings steamed in tomato sauce.

Dandelion greens, now appearing in markets, are an excellent tonic in February. Stewed slowly in a casserole over gentle heat, they strengthen and cleanse the system.

Among spices and herbs, the following are especially suitable for winter: Rosemary, Sage, Oregano, Chives, Cinnamon, Nutmeg, Ginger, Turmeric, Cumin, and Fennel. Garlic and ginger are at their peak during this season.

February calls for elimination and cleansing. Two or three times weekly, take one tablespoon of psyllium husk and cascarilla bark tea, as recommended historically by Dr. Popat Prabhuram Vaidya.

For dinner, an endive salad with onions, followed by dumplings with brown-flour gravy, makes a satisfying and grounding meal.

Roasts prepared from various pulses (singly or combined) benefit from the addition of rice or barley, enhancing both flavor and nourishment.

A vegetable roast made from grated turnips, carrots, onions, and potatoes — served with brown-flour gravy — supports elimination and benefits many ailments of the intestinal and alimentary tract.

During this season, citrus fruits — grapefruit, blood oranges, mandarins, and tangerines — are beneficial. They may be taken with pomegranate juice (not cold), a pinch of dry ginger, apples, or bananas.

Salsify and parsnips are particularly valuable in glandular disorders. Boil, mash, and mix them with rice or barley and lightly browned organic flour. Spice to taste, then bake or cook slowly over gentle heat for an excellent dish.

P.S. This dietary plan is especially suited to the United States, Canada, Eastern and Western Europe, and Russia, where February climates demand warmth, nourishment, and steady digestion.

All rights reserved — Ayurved Sadhana Vidyalaya, Colorado, U.S.A.

Please connect with us if you have any questions about this blog at info@ayurvedsadhana.com